He's here, he's bad, he's Darth Maul and he's got his own
novel! No, the thorny-headed one hasn't risen from the dead,
rather Shadow Hunter is set just before the events
of The Phantom Menace. Bad-boy Darth Sidious is about
to launch his Naboo trade blockade, but one of his henchman
has legged it and intends to give the game away. Darth Maul
is dispatched to find the henchman and kill him, including
anyone he has spoken to, their friends and their dogs...

Simply,
the novel is one big chase and the author (Michael Reeves)
makes a good job of it, although his writing style is by no
means spectacular.

There
are some interesting insights, the most prominent being a
close look at the fighting method known as tëras käsi (remember
the less than impressive game for the PlayStation?) It's been
mentioned before, but this is the first time we get to see
what it actually is. There is also an examination of Sith
culture, particularly why the Jedi are hated so much and in
turn why Darth Maul is so obsessed with killing them.

Fans
of action won't get bored either as there is no end of killing
and weaponry, but the fact that The Phantom Menace comes
next defuses any possible suspense. We know that the trade
blockade is going to happen which means that Darth Maul will
succeed in his mission, no matter what.